Medieval Madness
by nansomehandsome
Summary: When a potion goes slightly wrong and Ginny is forced back into the past, she has to deal with love, jealousy, and a whole lot of legends. Draco, Ginny, The legend of King Arthur and his round table of knights. Need I say more? Please read and review...
1. Chapter 1

_Fate. Destiny._

_If someone tells us what our Fate and Destiny are,_

_Will we like what we hear?_

_Or will you strive against the path set before you?_

- Robert Grimes

Sighing, Ginny Weasley gathered her books for her History of Magic class. If she didn't hurry up the process, she was going to end up very late. Scooping her last tattered book into her arms, Ginny rushed out of the Gryffindor common room, blindly entirely unaware of where or what she was heading into.

Unfortunately, she found herself walking right into Harry Potter. _Of all people _Ginny mentally scowled. It wasn't as if she still liked him or anything. She had gotten over her crush on the boy wonder a couple of months ago, but that didn't mean that she didn't feel a tiny pang of remorse every time she saw Harry and Hermione walking in the halls together.

Ginny grinned to herself. _That_ had come as a surprise. The entire school had placed their bets on her brother Ron and Hermione getting together. Even Ginny, who thought that she knew her brother the best, was amazed. Afterward however, Ron had explained to her that yes, he did at one point fancy Hermione, and that yes, Hermione had at one point fancied him. But that was all in fourth year, and by the time fifth year rolled around, they had both started seeing each other as friends again.

Ginny hadn't known whether to believe him or not at first since she had seen him looking wistfully in the direction of the love struck pair. After a few days closely examining him however, she realized that the only reason he was even staring at them was because he felt a little left out. Ginny didn't blame him at all.

She could not even count all the times where she had been left gulping air while the Wonder Trio went off on adventures. It also worried Ron when his friends fought. When Harry and Hermione first became a 'couple' Ron had embarrassedly confessed to Ginny that he was a bit worried about what would happen if his friends broke up and couldn't stand each other. As it turned out, he had been unnecessarily worried; Harry and Hermione rarely fought. After six years of close friendship, they understood each other perfectly.

This confession had been one of the few brief unguarded moments Ginny had had with her brother over the years since he had met Harry and Hermione, and it was moments like this for which Ginny was thankful. Ginny also knew that Ron was also a pinch jealous of their relationship. Anyone that wasn't blind,_ Heck,_ Ginny thought, _scratch that. _ Even a blind person could _feel_ the love between them. It would be sickening if it weren't so sweet.

What she _wouldn't _give for a real relationship like that. With a content smile upon her face, Ginny unconsciously sighed. Her eyes took on a glazed, far away look as she began to fantasize about her Prince Charming, completely and utterly forgetting her surroundings.

"Ginny are you all right?"

A voice broke into her reverie. Ginny snapped her head up and looked right into twin pools of Forrest green. "I...uh." Ginny stuttered as she frantically began to gather her books. " I'm fine." Standing up, and drawing to her full height, she blushed as Harry looked at her inquisitively.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Harry eyed her skeptically, and then shook his head. "Come on, I don't have class so I'll take you to Madame Pompfrey's. You definitely don't look alright."

Ginny smiled. _This_ was why she had liked him. He was so caring, and she knew that even if he did have a class this period, he would still gladly assist her to the hospital wing regardless of any punishment he might receive. If only she could find . . . Snap out if it_! _ Ginny mentally reprimanded herself.

She glanced towards Harry- He was looking at her weirdly again, like she was going crazy. Oh right, she was. She had just grinned, grimaced and smiled all to herself. Trying to look like she had meant to do this, Ginny flashed him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry Harry, I've been out of sorts all day. Must be that horrid Potions exam I have coming up."

She knew he would take that bait. Harry hated Potions just as much as Ron did. Harry's faced immediately ceased its worried expression, and switched to a more sympathetic one.

"Oh, sixth year potions are the worst! And Snape doesn't make it any easier. Don't worry . . . I know! Maybe I can get Hermione to help you out after dinner. She's always wanted someone to talk Potions with. Merlin knows Ron and I have always tuned her out." Harry said laughing.

Ginny joined him, laughing nervously. After a few seconds, Harry stopped and regarded her in a thoughtful manner. Ginny began to fidget. That was exactly how Ron and her mother looked at her when they thought she was lying.

"Are you positive that you don't want to take a rest?"

"Yes _Mother_, now, if you'll excuse me, I have got to get to a History of Magic class." Ginny glanced at the muggle watch her father had given her for her birthday. "Oh NO!" Ginny squealed. "I'm late!"

She looked back at Harry, who was looking like he was . . . amused_?_ The boy-who-lived was amused? Ginny was appalled. For a boy who had just offered to give up his free period taking her to the hospital wing, he could have at least offered to help her pick up her books which were still strewn around the corridor from her collision with him earlier.

"Honestly Ginny! I don't think anyone around here remembers that I'm Head Boy!" Harry said, shaking his head bemusedly.

Ginny glared at him. _Who cared if he was Head Boy? Did he want a bloody award or something?_ Ginny was about to voice her annoyed thoughts, when it dawned upon her that the Head Boy had a free pass around the school. He could easily tell Professor Binns that he had needed Ginny to help him with some Head Boy duty.

_Hell, _she thought, he could probably get her out of class! Ginny looked at Harry to see him smiling so broadly it looked as if his face would crack.

"Ha ha" Ginny said. " I'm sorry I underestimated you godly powers, Oh-great-headboy-highness-sir." Ginny said in a flat sarcastic voice, indicating she was indeed joking.

Harry laughed outright. He straightened and said in the same tone (only a bit more cheerfully,) " I accept your apology, my humble servant. In return for my generous favors, I insist that you repay me by at least escorting you to your next class, because if Ron finds out that I ditched his little sister to sleep, he'd have my hide."

Ginny grinned, and she and Harry began to walk in the direction of Professor Binns class. Upon reaching the class, Ginny timidly knocked on the tightly closed door. She glanced nervously back at Harry, and he gave her a reassuring smile. She needed it. It wasn't as if her History of Magic teacher was known for his cruelty, but as Ginny had been late to his class every day for the past week, he was undeniably going to be furious. Her guess was as educated as they got. Before Harry could even get a word in to excuse her lateness, Binns was on her like a cat.

" WHERE IN THE WORLD HAVE BEEN MS. WEASLEY?" his ghostly body shook with fury. "HAVE YOU ANY IDEA HOW LATE YOU ARE?"

Harry coughed politely and began making her excuses. " Sorry for keeping her so late Professor Binns, but you see there was th . . . " Harry stopped when he realized that Professor Binns was looking at him with a deathly look in his eyes. He backed away slowly, making sure that he provided himself a clean getaway incase the Professor lost control. Slowly, the professor regained his composure while Ginny looked down at her feet. Now, Harry was going to get a verbal lashing as well.

" You may leave Mr. Potter, I think that I will have to deal with Ms. Weasley on my own."

Harry looked uneasily from Ginny to Professor Binns and then back. Sighing inwardly, Ginny gave him a small nod, and freed Harry from the anguish she was about to go through. He mouthed the words " good luck, it won't be so bad" but all Ginny could do was shake her head in dismay. This was one of her favorite classes, and she hated to disappoint her professors.

She looked up and waved a tepid good bye to Harry who left shortly thereafter. Looking back at her angry professor, Ginny braced herself for a stern lecture. Amazingly she didn't get one. At first, she thought that she had braved the worst when Professor Binns sighed.

" Have you already forgotten that today was going to be the practical part of class report?" He asked her tiredly.

Ginny's day got even worse. How could she have forgotten? Each sixth year student had to report on the influence of magic in a specific time in history. They would pair up with a partner and would spend the entire day with a witch or wizard during that time period. Luna and herself had paired up to back to the time of Rome. They had both thought that it would be interesting to spend time with the witch who had caused the great Roman Empire to fall. Ginny bit her lip. This project counted toward her final marks and determined whether or not she got into advanced History of Magic in her seventh year! She looked pleadingly at Professor Binns.

" Please give me another chance! Luna and I already have every detail planned out, if you just send me in now, I'm sure that I'll get along fine!"

Professor Binns looked at her skeptically, and then reluctantly hesitated.

"Fine Ms. Weasley. You have always been one of my more enthusiastic students. However, I do not have any more of the specific potion needed for this particular spell. You'll have to prepare your own if you wish to join Ms. Lovegood."

Professor Binns chuckled slightly as he watched Ginny's face contort into a mask of disgust. Potions was not one of her best subjects, in fact, it was one of the worst. Not only had Snape's hatred for Ron, and perhaps all Gryffindors passed onto her, she was also clumsy at preparing potions.

"Relax, Ms. Weasley, I realize that your strengths do not lie in that subject, and so I will ask a personal favor from Severus to allow you one of his better students to help you with preparing the right potion."

Professor Binns began to scrimmage through his many papers and retrieved a long and complicated looking list of ingredients and instructions. Ginny sighed mentally with desperation. How on earth was she going to make this? Even with the help of one of Snape's prize students, the potion would be a hard one to concoct. Suddenly, a light went off in her head. Hermione! Of course she was the best at potions, like all her other subjects. Ginny felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. She had heard about Hermione's successful attempt at making the complicated Polyjuice Potion from Ron and Harry. Now, she had nothing to worry about.

"Thank you Professor Binns. I'll go down to Professor Snape's dungeon right away." Ginny waved goodbye, and started down the stairs. Humming her own little tune, she did not see the cloaked form before her, and bumped smack into a very angry and scowling Draco Malfoy.

Great, Ginny thought. It's my lucky day.


	2. Chapter 2

Did he think that it would be funny to make her pick up all of his books, and then push her so that all of them would fall to the floor again? Bloody bastard. She _had_ apologized. Although, granted, she had used the word 'ferret' in her very insincere apology. Ginny tucked her flyaway hair behind her ear, and grabbed the last of Malfoy's books, and stood up off of the floor.

"Satisfied?" She asked him. Fixating her eyes on him without flinching, Ginny watched him as he smirked one of his horrible smirks.

"Don't do that Weasley. The floor's where you belong. In fact, you're beginning to look a lot like this one houself we used to have." Malfoy drawled.

Ginny ignored him, and shoved his books into his arms so that the ink bottle that was leaning precariously towards the edge, finally dropped and broke, soaking Malfoy's undoubtedly expensive robes. Before he could reply, or possibly even curse her, she quickly turned on her heel and strutted down the staircase to the dungeons. She didn't have any time to waste on Malfoy. If she didn't get to the dungeons fast enough to persuade Snape to make her potion, she was failing History of Magic.

With all her experience with Snape, Ginny had expected to him to turn a bluish red hue in his anger while she explained her situation to him. She was not at all prepared for the startlingly creepy smile that stretched across his face as she mentioned that she would require the assistance of his best students.

" Should I go get Hermione?" Ginny asked. Knowing Hermione, she was probably hidden in some hole in the library, researching a dusty old wizard.

" I believe you are mistaken Ms. Weasley." Snape murmured in a tone that struck Ginny as amused, at her expense. "Ms. Granger, although she tries desperately, is not by best pupil. In fact, I'm sure he will be able to assist you in your little predicament as he is due to arrive here in a short while. You may wait for him at the door." With these words, Snape went back to mixing the hideously black potion he had been working on before she had entered.

Hadn't Snape said "Due to arrive here in a short while?" Ginny threw death glares at him from where she was standing. She was wasting her precious time waiting for this "perfect pupil" of his when she could have already been on her way with help from Hermione. She could not afford any more time lost. Grabbing her book bag, she began to storm up the row between the desks rapidly approaching Snape. Just as she was about reach him and possibly do something she would regret, he turned and said simply, "I believe he has arrived." Ginny turned and looked at the dungeon door. To her utter disbelief and horror, in walked Draco Malfoy and one of his goons whom he quickly sent off.

"Sorry Professor. I ran into one of those bloody awful Weasley's on my way over. They really are as stupid as they look eh?" Malfoy laughed absently as he walked over to Snape. His laughter turned into a terrible smirk when he saw Ginny with a bewildered look on her face.

Ginny looked at Snape, and then back at Malfoy, and again at Snape. Was this a cruel joke? This was her term project for Merlin's sake!

"Um Professor Snape?" Ginny asked in her most sickeningly sweet voice. " I don't think I really need the help of your _best_ student. I'm sure second best is perfectly fine."

"Nonsense" Snape said and calling Malfoy to him, they disappeared behind a door behind Snape's desk.

Ginny began to fidget. For all she knew, they were plotting the comeback of the dark lord and using her as a hostage. There was no way that Malfoy would agree to this. Ginny knew that much. He hated her just as much as she hated him and the thought that he would never voluntarily help her provided her an odd comfort. Snape would just have to let Hermione help her. The abrupt opening of the door behind which Snape and Malfoy had been talking rudely awakened her thoughts.

" Should I go get Hermione, Professor Snape? I'm positive that she has no classes and that she . . . " Ginny didn't even get to finish her sentence.

" There's no need Weasley, I never said I wouldn't help you. In fact, why don't we get started right now?" Malfoy interrupted.

She stared at him in absolute incredulity. Was he serious? Because she absolutely did not like the glint that was in his eyes and the smirk that was spreading across his plaster face. She could see Snape watching her with absolute amusement.

"Draco, I believe the correct potion for Ms. Weasley's_ situation_ is located in a black book titled _Avante's Tales of Death and Time Travel._ Be sure to follow all directions carefully."

With that being said, Snape continued to proceed with his work, and Malfoy began to walk out of the dungeon. Taking her books, and trying to catch up, Ginny reluctantly followed him into a side dungeon that she had never known existed. It was surprisingly nice, and although undoubtedly cold, the room seemed to give off a feeling of importance.

" Mine. Only the best of each year get their own to work on their potions." He drawled.

Ginny whirled at the sound of his voice. This was his? Maybe next year she'd try a bit harder at potions.

"Maybe we should get started Malfoy, I'm sure Luna is already there" Ginny glanced at her watch again. She was already a half hour behind.

"We, Weasley? You can't honestly think that I would help you?" Malfoy smirked, and reached under a shelf to retrieve the book that Snape had instructed them to use. Tossing it to her, he grinned. " You may begin. I'll watch."

Ginny groaned. Not only was this a really tough potion to concoct, she was absolutely dreadful at potions. She glared at Malfoy who was lounging on a ledge, reading a book. It was probably about killing muggles or setting fire to homes Ginny thought to herself. Aside from the occasional yell he gave her about how she was cutting a willow root on a slant instead of straight, he had completely ignored her. Ginny huffed and turned back to her work.

If there were just one word to describe the appearance of her potion and her ingredients that she had tried to prepare, it would be dreadful. If she were to mess up one ingredient, just one, she could be transported to the age of dinosaurs instead of Rome. Absent-mindedly cutting her mandrake roots, Ginny began to wonder why Malfoy had even agreed to help her. His hatred for her brother and Harry had undoubtedly continued on to her when she had first entered Hogwarts. Of course, this was expected, as she had hated him just from the stories her brother had told her. She glanced at him.

His eyebrows were furrowed, and she could see that he was chewing the side of his lip. Right at that moment, he looked so _normal_. If only he actually behaved that way.

Ginny looked at her mandrake roots. The book had clearly said to cut the roots once from the purple edge not the green. However, in her inattentiveness, she of course had instead cut from the green side. Ginny looked under the table to check if the shelves had any other pieces of root, but all they were filled with jars filled with something that looked oddly similar to body parts.

"Hey Malfoy!" Ginny called over to him. "Do you have any more Mandrake roots?"

He got up from his resting place and walked over to her. With a smirk and drawl, he leaned over her already cut and disfigured roots.

"Hmm . . . I knew you were stupid Weasley, but illiterate too? Here I was thinking that there could not possibly be anyone more idiotic than your brother."

She was fuming inside, and he knew it. What he didn't know, thought Ginny, was that she wasn't her brother. He was expecting her to curse him or even possibly punch him. And even though she sorely wanted to, she wouldn't. Ginny wasn't going to fail History of Magic on account of Malfoy.

"Should I take that as a no? If that's the case, I'm sure Professor Snape could find some for me. Although I'm sure that he would be disappointed to hear that his most prized student could not accomplish the task of finding a set of mandrake roots."

Ginny turned around and started to walk out the doorway when she felt a thud on the back of her head. For a second she was stunned, and when she turned around and looked at the floor, she found herself staring at the bag of mandrake roots that had just hit her head. Ginny looked at Malfoy. He was back at his ledge reading, pretending that he had never thrown a bag of wet and slimy roots at her head. _Bloody Bastard_. Picking up the roots and making her way back to her cauldron, Ginny continued to proceed with the complicated potion that was set before her.

It was only when she reached a set of instructions that required bat wings that she noticed that he was still there. Nervous as to what he might say or do this time when she bothered him, Ginny looked around herself for the bat wings before she dare say anything to him. When her long search found nothing, she finally decided that a verbal lashing from Malfoy was worth getting to Luna.

"Malfoy! I can't find the Bat wings I need to finish the potion!"

Without a word he got up and came over to her again.

"If you want the wings, look for them yourself," he drawled. "I'm done watching you and your pathetic attempts at potions Weasley. You'd have probably been better off as a squib."

That hurt. She'd have been crazy to say that it hadn't. But if Ginny knew one thing, it was that Malfoy had no right to criticize her or anyone in her family when his own father was in Azkaban.

"You must be so angry that all of us _Weasley's_ are still roaming around England while your father's locked up in Azkaban. Do you miss him Malfoy? Does your mother?"

She had said every word in a sarcastic and biting tone so that she knew he would be angry. Already, she was regretting saying it at all. His eyes had contracted and his face had gone so slack that she was sure if she were to say another word, he would have shouted _Avada Kedavra_. To her surprise and utter horror, he began to get closer to her, almost as if he would strangle her, and she began to move back. She was frightened of the fact that they were alone and that her wand was in her book bag, a good two feet away. Ginny stretched her right hand as far as she could to see if she could get it out in time, when she felt her hand bang against something very hard. With a huge thunk, the entire cauldron tipped over and splashed her and the entire floor with an oozing greenish black liquid. Trying to hold her balance, Ginny blindly grabbed hold of the nearest thing to her, which was unfortunately Malfoy's robe. Suddenly, her feet gave way, bringing Malfoy down with her into the liquid. The floor didn't hit her head like she expected, instead she felt like she was being sucked into a hole, a feeling very similar to one she had experienced while using a portkey. Before she knew what was happening, all she saw was black.

Ginny woke up with a terrible headache. There was a noise surrounding her, chattering and bustling about that made Ginny wonder what her roommates were up to at this hour. Suddenly she felt a hard shake on her shoulder and opened her eyes right into the ones of a girl that frighteningly like Pansy Parkinson.

"Wake up your highness! King Arthur's already on his way and is about to reach the court with Merlin! We need to get you ready right away, and you're already late!" The girl whispered frantically to her.

Ginny could not imagine for the life of her as to why Pansy Parkinson was whispering to her about Kings and Merlin when she slowly realized that she was supposed to have been making a potion that was to transport her back to Rome. Looking around, she stared at the people in the room, all of whom were wearing long peasant dresses that did not look anything like the attire of Rome.

"Where am I?" she asked the Pansy Parkinson look alike. But all she got in response was a quick shaking of the head, and before she could say another word, she was hauled up to her feet and was attacked by a swarm of ladies. From every which direction her hair was being pulled and her dress tugged off her.

"Why on earth is everyone attacking me?" she shouted on the top of her lungs. To Ginny's dismay, not a single person stopped doing what they were doing. Instead, she heard a shout from Pansy over all of the ruckus.

"You're getting married!"


	3. Chapter 3

_A man who never made a mistake- never made anything_

Ginny staggered slightly before finally catching the arm of one of her ladies-in-waiting. This was a huge mistake. It absolutely had to be. She didn't even get a chance to finish the potion! Where on earth was Luna when you needed her?

Ginny tried to clear her mind amid the chaos that surrounded her and fogged her brain. If she wasn't in Rome, where else could the potion have taken her?

Ginny gasped as she felt her chest sharply drawn back by a corset that had been laced upon her without her knowledge. Not only could she not think properly, she couldn't even breathe. In fact, every time she tried to open her mouth, the girl that was dressing her would pull harder on the strings cutting off her breath yet again. Giving up, she finally decided to sit on her great mahogany bed observing her surroundings while the last touches were being put in her curly red hair.

After what felt like hours, Ginny saw the large room finally begin to clear as the bustling women had left as quickly as they had come. Now, the only person left in the room besides her was Pansy, a thought that left her feeling even more irritated and flustered than she had been with all of the commotion.

Glancing up at the raven-haired girl that was scurrying to and fro around the room, Ginny noticed for the first time that her hair was remarkably like Harry's, of course without the random pieces of hair sticking up. Clearing her voice, Ginny was just about to question the girl further, determined to get answers from her this time, when a loud and resounding ringing began to sound in her ears.

Jerking herself up quickly from the bed and scanning the room quickly for exits, Ginny was all prepared to make a run for it, when Pansy's surprisingly strong grip clutched at her elbow and held her back. With her eyes wide, and filled with an uncharacteristic softness, Pansy was starring at her with tears brimming over her cheeks and a smile lighting her face.

On anyone else, Ginny would have taken this as an expression of love, the kind she felt towards Hermione when her friend had told her about slapping Draco Malfoy's ferret face. However, when this expression was on the face of a Slytherin girl who had despised her for six entire years and was Malfoy's presumed girlfriend, Ginny was frankly very frightened.

"Eh . . . Parkinson?" Ginny asked quietly, her arm was aching were the other girl was gripping it tightly, and she wasn't sure what was going on with the continuous tolling of the bells. She was sure she was in the past, but could Voldemort be secretly taking over? She could think of no other reason as to why the normally scowling girl was grinning.

"Parkinson!" Ginny shouted. She was definitely going to have a bruise on her arm now. For some reason, Pansy looked confused.

"Parkinson?" she asked. " Why, you must have wedding jitters. You've known me forever Lady Guinevere!"

Pansy began to talk about their past while picking up the corners of Ginny's dress. In the corner of her mind, Ginny heard Pansy reminiscing about how they had played together as youngsters, the entire castle aware of the two little girls, Guinevere and Panella, one destined to be a lady in waiting, the other a future queen.

It was a fascinating story to be sure, but instead of paying attention to the other girls ramblings, all she could think of was how Pansy had said her name was Guinevere. Where had she heard that name before? She was sure she had listened to Hermione saying something or another about it…

Before she could piece together her thoughts and form a coherent idea, Ginny was interrupted once again by Pansy's squealing.

"Oh goodness! I keep forgetting how late we already are! We absolutely have to hurry, His majesty will have a fit if his only daughter does not show up on time to her own wedding!"

Ginny froze. The events of the last hour had entirely muddled her brain, and had caused her to forget all about what Pansy or Parnell rather, had said about her getting married. The thought hit her like a train. Not only was she about to get married, she was probably going to be changing the course of history as well.

Ginny inwardly cringed just thinking about the consequences she'd have to deal with when she arrived back home. She'd be expelled from Hogwarts, Professor Binns would undoubtedly hate her, and her parents would be so disappointed. Even Fred and George had managed to complete their seven years at Hogwarts without expulsion. An even more horrific thought occurred in her head. What if her effect on history changed everything? Would her friends even be born?

She was crying now, and of course Parnell, thought that it was due to her great joy in getting married. Still choking on her tears, Ginny was dragged out of the room by Parnell, down a stone corridor. Even through her teary and blurred eyes, Ginny could see the splendor in the jewels that adorned the walls with ornate portraits hanging adjacent to each other. Her tears and worries disappeared as quickly as they had come as she was swept up in the grandeur that surrounded her.

As they neared the end of the corridor, Ginny could hear music, music unlike any other she had ever heard. The Wicked Sisters themselves could not strum up the quiet but powerful music that echoed from the large room they were approaching.

Clutching at Parnell's arm, Ginny felt an onslaught of horror.

"I don't want to get married!"

At first, Parnell just laughed, exclaiming that she must have been joking. In fact, she was the one that had agreed to the auspicious marriage. Try as she might, Ginny could not bring herself to tell the girl that she was from a different time period. She didn't even know if magic existed here, and in addition to getting married, she didn't want to end up in a medieval equivalent of a loony bin.

Before she could manage to utter another syllable of refusal, Parnell had gently pushed Ginny into the large room in which the music had been coming from and Ginny could finally see that the room was unfortunately not empty.

Instead, it was brimming with people, singing and dancing. In the front of the large hall, Ginny could see an elevated stage upon which there was a decorated priest and a collection of knights? Ginny groaned. This was looking more and more like the pictures she had seen in her textbooks. She, unfortunately was standing were the bride would, and if her history books were right, there should have been a group of jugglers and minstrels performing to her left. Glancing quickly, she saw the performers and grinned. Those late nights studying for Professor Binns had paid off. Giddy on her discovery, Ginny began to look for the groom. If what she had learned was right, he should be approximately five feet tall and fifty years old. The thought didn't worry her as Ginny had already planned out an escape route. Disappearing in the crowded hall could hardly be a difficult task. Scanning the crowd, Ginny saw a quick flash of blond, but before she could place the person, her eyes settled on a boy, rather a man standing right near the flash. Even without the glasses, Ginny could recognize the jet-black hair anywhere. It was Harry, and despite all of her anguish and brooding, Ginny could not help but release a small sigh of relief. If there was anyone she could trust with her life, it was he. Ginny heard Parnell snicker beside her.

"Over your wedding jitters my lady?"

Ginny felt herself blush a deep scarlet. He was so handsome, with all of his royal regalia. Harry's robes of scarlet red contrasted brilliantly with his raven hair, and she could imagine his sparkling green eyes all the way across the room where she was standing. He smiling down and talking to someone behind him and letting loose a laugh that seemed to shook his shoulders. What had she been thinking when she had said that she was over him? It was clear that she most certainly was not. Without warning, he suddenly looked up at her, and Ginny quickly averted her eyes. She needed to get home, not marry a glorified version of Harry! Although, she tried to reason with herself, in this time period, he was blatantly not Hermione's. Guilt tore at her for even thinking something so horrible, and regret plagued her because she knew the even if she went home this instant, it would take another year in order for her to get over Harry yet again. Ginny knew she had to get out of here and fast.

She glanced towards him again - he was so much like the Harry that she knew that it dawned on her that maybe this _was_ the Harry that she knew. Thoughts of the Chamber of Secrets and how Harry had miraculously turned up to save her filled her mind.

She couldn't wait until she could talk to him alone and figure out a way to get out of this place. Silently biding her time, and all the while inching her way towards him, Ginny's quest was interrupted by a sudden bell- and silence swept over the room. A booming voice began:

"It is my honor to have the company of all my loyal subjects in celebration of the marriage of my only daughter, Princess Guinevere to the great King Arthur of Camelot. May the Processions begin!"

A wave of applause rose among the crowd along with several chants of "King Leodegrance! Your Majesty!"

Ginny was speechless as she was taken at the arms by two unknown ladies, to the front of the room. There, waiting for her, was King Leodegrance, who although was presumably her father, looked nothing like the Arthur Weasley she knew. As she reached the front, Ginny found herself next to Harry, who had come from the other side of the room. Trying to sneak him glance while avoiding the hawk like gaze of the priest that was presiding over them, Ginny was unable to catch his eye. The priest began speaking and Ginny efforts to attract Harry's attention without elbowing him in a room full of his loyal subjects was fruitless. Honestly! She thought to herself. Harry was not usually this daft. Why wasn't he looking up at her so they could figure out a way to get back home before any permanent damage was inflicted? Her efforts to draw his attention had however distracted her from the priest's words, and before she knew what had happened, the balding man who looked suspiciously like the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, loudly spoke to Harry.

"Your Majesty Arthur, wilt thou have this woman as thy wedded wife, wilt thy love her, honor her, keep her and guard her, in health and in sickness, as a husband should a wife, and forsaking all others on account of her, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?"

Even as the priest said this, Harry continued to look down at his feet as he calmly responded.

"I Arthur, take Guinevere as my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, till death do us part, if the holy church will ordain it: And thereto I plight thee my troth."

Ginny's heart was pounding, in both fear and pleasure. Was Harry under some sort of Imperius curse? He loved Hermione, and no matter how dire the situation, he would have never betrayed Hermione like this. Another part of her was guiltily happy and delusional. Could it be, that after all these years, he had finally liked her? Ginny pushed those thoughts from her head as they only led to a road filled with regret and anguish on her part.

In fact, Ginny was actually beginning to feel kind of angry. Harry was making absolutely no effort, almost as if he didn't even want to leave. What a horrible time for him to start shirking responsibility!

Well, Ginny thought to herself, if he wasn't going to speak up, she would have to say something. However, before she could even utter a word, the priest began to talk once again and Ginny impatiently waited for him to finish before speaking her refusal.

"Your Majesty Guinevere, wilt thou have this man as thy wedded husband, wilt thy love him, honor him, keep him and guard him, in health and in sickness, as a wife should a husband, and forsaking all others on account of him, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?"

Opening her mouth to say no, Ginny was just about to debut her refusal when she found herself abruptly looking into Harry's eyes. From the first time she had seen him, Harry's eyes had had an effect on her she could not explain. This weakening of the knees, fluttering of her stomach had not occurred since that fateful day she had swore off Harry forever. But this new Harry, who held himself so similarly yet so different from the Harry she knew entranced her, and before she could regain coherent control of the muscles in her mouth she spoke inadvertedly.

"Yes."

She regretted it even before she had finished saying it, but she could not take it back as the entire crowd erupted into applause and Harry stepped forward to lean down to her, and kiss her.

Ginny would have been lying to herself if she said she hadn't dreamed of kissing Harry just like this. But the complacent little peck he placed on her lips was nothing like the kisses she had imagined. No passion and definitely no fireworks.

Even then, she may have enjoyed the brief moment had it not been for the silver blonde she saw for the first time standing next to Harry, in robes of green and silver. It suited him, and for a second, Ginny thought maybe this version of Draco Malfoy was warped, much like Pansy. Her idea was shattered however, by the signature smirk followed by an angry scowl that spread across his face as he mouthed to her silently something that sounded awfully like,

"Bloody good job Weasley. Now how the hell are we going to get out of this?"


	4. Chapter 4

_There is nothing in this world so sweet as love. _

_And next to love the sweetest thing is hate._

_ - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_

If someone had asked Ginny two days ago if she would ever be happy, no - ecstatic, to see Malfoy's face, she would have slapped them upside the head. But here she was, relieved to have someone, anyone, to remind her that she wasn't crazy.

He was standing in a line of knights, all dressed in identical scarlet and gold- except for him. Leave to Malfoy to stick out like a sore thumb she thought to herself. Before she could even try to communicate with him, let alone think of something to say- Harry stepped forward and blocked her view.

The priest was still going on about the legendary royal union that just taken place, describing how Merlot was now undefeatable! Ginny could see Harry nodding dutifully to each word the priest uttered- absorbed in what seemed to be thoughts solely regarding the welfare of his kingdom. It was a little disconcerting to see Harry acting so unlike himself and it finally sunk in that the real Harry wasn't going to save her this time.

The priest finally finished speaking and Harry awkwardly held her arm and lead her out of the room to the sound of resounding hurrahs and yells. After a series of confusing turns, they entered a stone cold hallway. Harry dropped her arm and bowed deeply.

"Til supper my lady" he said quickly and swiftly walked away from her- turning a corner before she could even call him back.

Ginny looked around helplessly. So much for holding onto her from this day forward she thought.

She turned around and tried to think of how to get back to the large hall. As much as she abhorred him, Malfoy could be her only chance to get back to reality with as little collateral damage as possible. Retracing her footsteps and caught up in debating whether she should have taken a left or a right at the last turn, Ginny didn't know what hit her when Parnell approached her. The Pansy look-a-like giddily began to drag her and instead of resisting this time, Ginny went along with her. Her grand escape would have to wait until she had a chance to talk to Malfoy.

As it turned out, 'supper' as Arthur had called it could have more accurately been called "a feast-at-which-perhaps-all-of-England-was-present-and-then-some." After forcing her into another suffocating dress, Parnell had led Ginny down to the banquet hall. It was perhaps the largest room Ginny had ever stepped foot in- and that included the main hall at Hogwarts. She didn't get a chance to truly appreciate its beauty however, because pseudo-Harry had once more appeared at her side.

He was awkwardly fidgeting with his sword handle, silently holding out his other arm for Ginny. Even if he did look every inch a king in perfectly fitted royal regalia he sure didn't seem to act like one. His behavior was especially unnerving for her because while he looked so much like Harry- he was nothing like the brave and fun-loving guy that she knew. In fact, if her memory served right, he was nothing like the famed King Arthur either. She couldn't help but wonder- how did guy who couldn't even look her in the eyes become such a powerful King?

As he led her down towards the front of the large room, Ginny scanned the crowd for Malfoy. She hoped he would show up tonight- he was probably more anxious than she was to get back. Harry guided her up to a high-seated table where the two of them would be the center of attention. Well, Ginny thought to herself, as hundreds of eyes stared at her- at least she had a great vantage point from here.

She had been starving and the food that was placed in front of her, plates filled with duck, pork and chicken were surprisingly delicious. Ginny sighed. If only she could cut off her wretched dress and properly enjoy the meal. As she tugged at her dress and scraped the last few potatoes off her plate, she noticed Harry staring at her. Ginny had thought at first he was choking but as she turned fully to face him, she realized that he was laughing.

Scowling, she muttered "What?" in between mouthfuls, which resulted in him snorting several times at her expense. Of course the one trait he seemed to have in common with the real Harry wouldn't be something helpful like courage- it was the ability to laugh at her no matter what the time period. To her surprise, pseudo Harry began to reach his hand over to hers. She could feel her body tense up unconsciously but before he could even touch her, someone approached Harry from his other side.

Without a second thought, Harry quickly got up and embraced the newcomer, gruffly clapping him on the back. It was obvious that pseudo-Harry and the stranger were close but then broke apart to shake hands, her curiosity turned to disbelief. Malfoy?

Not even in Ginny's wildest dreams would she have imagined Harry and Malfoy ever coming to terms with each other let alone hugging. Her fears were assuaged however when she saw the disgusted and pained expression on Malfoy's face. His eyes cut to her for a split second- but instead of responding to her meaningful glance or facial expression, he just glared and turned away and took a seat at a table in front of them. He was ignoring her.

Ginny scoffed. Who was he here anyway? Clearly King Arthur was fond of him and he seemed well loved by the people he was seated next to. Exactly the opposite of who he was in reality.

When Harry was seated again, Ginny poked his arm. "Who was that?"

Harry looked at her quizzically. "My lady, that of course was Sir Lancelot. Are you feeling all right? You know as well as I do that he is the greatest knight of this kingdom and the greatest friend of my heart- I would trust him with my life."

Her surprise was written all over her face and she quickly turned away before pseudo-Harry decided she was crazy enough to drag off to a medieval equivalent of a loony bin. Her best course of action Ginny decided, was to find a way to talk to Malfoy, alone. Unfortunately for her, he wasn't willing to oblige. Every time she caught his eye, she tried frantically to set up somewhere to meet. But for some reason, he just stared through her and continued to act as if he really was Sir Lancelot. Frustrated, Ginny finally gave up. What was she going to have to do to get his attention? Set off flares?

Angry that he was messing with her mind even when they were in such a dire situation, Ginny chose to ignore him as well. If he wasn't willing to help so be it. She'd figure out her own way home and leave that filthy ferret here to rot. How long would he be able to keep up the charade of being a brave knight anyway? There wasn't a courageous bone in Malfoy's body.

Ginny turned back towards pseudo-Harry. She tried to make conversation but it seemed that the brief moment between them had already passed and he was back to being as awkward as ever. Sighing to herself, she settled back in her seat and waited for the evening to be over. As it turned out, she didn't have to wait long. Not even fifteen minutes after her silent resolution, a harried looking man burst through the hall's large doors entirely out of breath.

"My Lord! There is trouble! Great trouble in the Southern Region of the Kingdom! Meleagant! Meleagant!"

The man then fainted from exhaustion or excitement (she couldn't quite tell which one) and before Ginny could even process what was going on, Harry jumped from his seat and ran to kneel next to the man. Gone was any trace of anxiety and instead was man that was clearly in charge. He quickly ordered several nearby men to carry the unconscious man into another room and began to briskly follow them out. After a few steps however, he abruptly stopped and turned to look at Ginny. After staring at her for a few seconds, he glanced towards Malfoy and nodded his head in her direction. Malfoy surprisingly returned the gesture and slowly stood from his seat as well. As Harry left the room, Malfoy approached her, paused, and then held out his arm without looking directly at her.

After a moment's hesitation, Ginny took the extended arm and silently followed Malfoy out of the hall. She was surprised to see that even though Malfoy had been here just as long as she had, he already had gotten the hang of the castle's twists and turns. She was also surprised that he wasn't saying a word-or rather screaming at her. As much as she hated to admit it, this whole debacle was pretty much all her fault. After a few minutes of silent walking, with Malfoy walking at least two paces in front of her- He suddenly grabbed open a door and shoved her inside what turned out to be a cramped closet.

"Malfoy!" Ginny began to scream but he muffled her screams with his hand.

He leaned in with his silver eyes flashing and growled back. "Shut up Weasley! Do you know what happens if we get caught here? Are you really that dense?"

Ginny shoved his hand away from her mouth and tried to step back from him. She realized too late that with her voluminous dress and the already small space, this just wasn't possible. Losing her balance, she tried to catch on to Malfoy, but this time he deftly avoided her flailing arms.

"You really think I'd let that happen again?" He barked at her.

Ginny looked up at him from the floor where she had landed and glared at him. "What did you pull me in here for anyway Malfoy? You were only too eager to avoid me earlier!"

He smirked at her and Ginny wished she could slap the annoying smugness out of him.

"Do you even realize what kind of situation you got us stuck in Weasley? Do you? If I recall correctly, your assignment was to silently observe history from the sidelines! NOT BECOME A PART OF IT! You think you're set because you finally bagged Potter eh? What if you change the world as we know it? Magic as we know it? Are YOU going to take responsibility for that? Are you planning to spend the rest of your life with these medieval imbeciles?" He wasn't quite shouting at her, but his tone was the scariest she had ever heard- worse than her mother after one of Fred and George's antics.

Ginny struggled to her feet and when she gained her balance, she jabbed her finger into his chest. He wasn't the only one with a temper.

"Now you listen to me Malfoy. I didn't ask for this! If you had just helped me LIKE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO- we would have never ended up here! Do you think I'd ever voluntarily choose to be anywhere with YOU? Let alone…" Before she could finish, Malfoy grabbed her finger with one hand and instead began jabbing her solar plexus with his other.

" DO. NOT. BLAME. ME." He jabbed. "For your mental incompetence. Did you think you were doing anyone favors by making those asinine faces at me during dinner? And here I was, thinking that my BLATANT IGNORANCE of your behavior would send you a message!"

Ginny tried to step back from him, but he only gripped her hand harder and pulled her closer – his angled pale face inches from hers.

"Do you know what happens if they find out who we really are? These people burn witches at the stake for Merlin's sake! Your bumbling around like an idiot puts my life in danger and I'm warning you- if they hurt as much a single hair on my head you will pay. You and your filthy, mudblood-loving, circus of a family will all pay!"

Ginny bit back the urge to remind him that his father was rotting away in Azkaban and that Voldemort hadn't shown his face in nearly two years now. Because even though his words may not have borne any weight, the very real man in front of her whose eyes were flashing with anger certainly posed a threat.

He let go of the death grip he'd had on her finger and wiped his hands disgustedly on his robe.

"We need to finish up here." He said curtly- almost as if hadn't just threatened her life. "I need to get back to hall- Despite looking unfortunately like him, at least Arthur isn't half as stupid as the blithering idiot Potter you love so much." He turned and began to open the door to leave.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Ginny asked and Malfoy just shrugged coolly.

"I'll be in touch. In the meantime, try to act less like the immature girl you really are and more like the queen you're supposed to be." He slammed the door behind him, leaving Ginny alone in the dingy little closet.

The nerve of that asshat! Ginny fumed. Walking around like he was so high and mighty! Yes, she'd made a mistake and yes, she had acted rather foolishly earlier- but he wasn't free from blame either! She dusted off the bottom of her dress and tried to leave the closet as elegantly as she could and nearly tripped over her feet. Somehow, Malfoy had managed a much more suave exit.

Of course, Malfoy hadn't done her the favor of leaving her stranded in a closet even remotely close to her chambers. And to her eyes, every stone hallway looked the same as the last- until she finally stumbled on a large portrait she recalled was across from her room. It was of a quite hideous lady in a dark blood red outfit. She remembered it because the lady looked quite like Millicent Bullstrode- on one of her good days.

Gently pushing open the door, Ginny was relieved to see that the room was empty. Finally some peace! Maybe she'd be able to think of a plan, one that didn't involve any help from that jerk Malfoy. But before she could even prop herself on the bed, there was a knock on the door.

"Malfoy?" She inquired but there was no response. Lifting up her heavy skirts once again, Ginny opened the door to see Harry. Her stomach dropped in anxiety. She'd completely forgotten- it was late…and hadn't she just gotten married? Sweat beads began to form on her forehead and Ginny gripped the door tightly.

"I just came by to apologize for leaving you earlier my lady." He said his eyes on the floor. Ginny could feel the tension in the air.

"I myself am disappointed with the unfortunate timing of the dire situation that has come upon our kingdom. But I hope you'll forgive me…" he trailed off. He paused for a second, almost as if he was gathering strength. "because this wasn't how I was planning on spending tonight…"

His brilliant green eyes were staring into hers now and he leaned in. Ginny began feeling anxious for an entirely different reason. Now she was the nervous one.

"You.. you.. uh..don't worry about it! Not a big deal really!" Ginny said-or more so squealed. She tried to think of something clever to say- but even after years of dreaming of a scenario just like this, nothing came out. Instead, all she could think to say was "Well…it's getting kind of late and…you know, big day tomorrow!"

She internally winced before even finishing the sentence. Could she act any more pathetic? Here was the chance she was waiting for! But even though she knew that this version of Harry didn't love Hermione unconditionally- that this version of Harry had room in his heart for someone else, she couldn't do it. Harry held her gaze a little longer and then gave a little nervous laugh.

"Absolutely, I understand…"he started. "Well, I have to get back to drawing up plans for attack and such." He straightened himself up and started to walk away. She had been staring at his retreating back when he suddenly stopped and began walking in her direction again. Before she could even say a word, he kissed her. It was different from the last kiss- this one definitely wasn't just a peck. But was over almost as soon as it had started and when Ginny looked up at Harry he was red. Without saying anything at all, he patted her gently on the shoulder and walked off once more. She sighed and leaned against the door. It had been a real kiss this time- a real kiss with Harry! So why wasn't it making her dizzy? Where were the fireworks?

When Ginny had finally calmed her thoughts, she closed her door behind her and began to get ready for bed. Planning her escape would have to wait for a less confusing night. She heard a knock at the door and saw someone slide a note underneath. She finished up and fetched it.

_Weasley- _

_The stables at the crack of dawn. Although it seems you'd rather not go back at all- considering you've finally fulfilled your favorite Potter fantasy? It's brilliant that you're so bloody good at prioritizing. _

Ginny leaned her back against the door and sighed. What a jerk.


End file.
